Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Mehr News Agency, Iran
March 11 2007

Farhat composed tenth symphony to repay his debt to war martyrs

TEHRAN, March 11 (MNA) — Iranian musician Shahin Farhat said on Sunday that
he composed his tenth symphony, entitled Martyrs, as a way to repay part of
his debt to the martyrs of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

`The work is the best of the 11 symphonies I have composed over my career,’
he told the Persian service of IRNA.

The Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO)
recently released a CD of a performance of the 41-minute symphony by the
Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Sirenco.

The symphony had originally been scheduled to be recorded by the Armenian
Philharmonic Orchestra with Iranian conductor Loris Tjeknavorian.

Farhat recently completed the Muhammad (S) Symphony and previously composed
the Iran, Iranian Lady, Damavand, and Persian Gulf symphonies.

Araratbank starts issuing debit-credit Autocards

Arminfo
2007-03-10 00:47:00

Araratbank has started to issue debit-credit ArCa cards – Autocards.

The head of the plastic card department of the bank Gagik Shahinyan
says that there are three types of Atuocards: Classic, Gold (for
physical entities) and Business (for legal entities). The partner
network of the project consists of seven car services: Mercedes
Service, BMW Service, KIA Motors, KARKOMAUTO, Bosh Car Service, Flash
network of fuelling stations, Tufenkyan Hotel Network, where
card-holders can enjoy up to 15% discounts.

One of the key advantages of Classic card is INGO-Armenia third car
insurance policy and of Gold cards – additional 1.5mln AMD accident
insurance policy. Besides, the bank provides bonuses: return of 0.25%
of total transaction amount to Classic card holders, 0.5% to Gold card
holders. The annual fee of Classic card is 5,000 AMD, Gold – 12,000
AMD, Business – 10,000 AMD for main card and 5,000 AMD for additional
one.

The bank is negotiating about discounts with the Georgian car services
situated along the roads heading for the Black Sea coast as tens of
thousands of Armenian cars pass by them every year.

Today, Araratbank has 5 bancomats and is going to redouble their
number by the end of this year. By the end of this year the bank is
planning to have 8,000 card holders. In the autumn the bank is going
to become an associate member of Master Card system.

FESTIVAL BALLET’S UP CLOSE, ON HOPE

Providence Journal, RI
March 7 2007

Hope returns to Festival Ballet Providence.

This weekend and next the company presents its second and final Up
Close, on Hope show of its season. These shows present shorter and
more varied works than Festival presents in its staged productions,
and it presents them in the intimate space of its studio.

This show will feature five works by four choreographers: Mark
Harootian, a Festival dancer; Colleen Cavanaugh, a former professional
dancer and dance company founder who has created many works for
Festival; Viktor Plotnikov, a retired Boston Ballet dancer who also
created many works for Festival; and Yury Yanowsky of Boston Ballet,
who’s creating his first piece for Festival.

There are a couple of notable features of this show. Harootian’s piece,
18 minutes long and inspired by Armenian folk dances, will include live
music by an Armenian band. And Cavanaugh’s piece will also include live
music, with one of the dancers, Carolyn Dellinger, also playing violin.

Up Close, on Hope is this Saturday and next at 6:30 p.m., and this
Sunday at 6 p.m. For tickets, $40, call (401) 353-1129 or e-mail
[email protected]. The company is at 825 Hope St., Providence.

REPUBLIC PARTY SAYS BOYCOTTING NA SESSION A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

Panorama.am
18:27 07/03/2007

Suren Sureniants, political board member of Republic party, said the
party failed to meet the expectations of its voters. This means that
"the constitutional order is not recovered in the country and Robert
Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan continue to rule."

Sureniants said his co-fellows demonstrated the highest principles
by boycotting the activities of the National Assembly. In his words,
Aram Z.

Sargsyan, has even refused taking his deputy salary.

If the upcoming elections are faked, the party will take a decision
to participate on not in the NA sessions. Sureniants believes that
the public will put trust in them because of boycotting.

SMBAT YEGHIAZARIAN WAS EXPELLED FROM PPA DUE TO PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH ELECTORAL ROLLS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The real reason of discontent of
Smbat Yeghiazarian, head of PPA Abovian territorial organization, was
connected with the party’s proportional list. Grigor Haroutiunian, PPA
Political Board member, taking the third place in PPA’s proportional
list declared this at the March 7 press conference. In his words,
it was planned to include S. Yeghiazarian in the list under number
eight, while the latter wished to be in the first five.

In his words, the accusations brought by S. Yeghiazarian stand no
criticism.

(To recap, lately the latter had accused S. Demirchian of cooperating
with the authorities). G. Haroutiunian declared that PPA "has not
deviated and will never deviate from the course of its founder Karen
Demirchian." He stated that the persons who had formerly left the
party (Armen Khachatrian, Gagik Aslanian and others) had brought
the same accusation. In G. Haroutiunian’s words, S. Yeghiazarian
could have expressed his discontent at the party’s congress or at the
Board sitting, which he did not do. Moreover, declaring that he will
introduce facts confirming the accusation addressed to PPA he has not
published them so far. "We do not accept issues connected with the
electoral roll and the party has to expel its member for slander,"
G. Haroutiunian declared mentioning that S. Yeghiazarian was expelled
from the party by the decision of the Party Political Board.

VARDAN OSKANIAN AND CONDOLEEZZA RICE DISCUSSED KARABAGH SETTLEMENT’S PERSPECTIVES

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

March 5 RA FM Vardan Oskanian, who is currently in the U. S. with a
working visit, met with the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

According to the information DE FACTO got at the RA MFA Press Office,
in the course of the meeting the parties had discussed the issues
referring to Armenia-U.S. relations. The interlocutors mentioned the
importance of "Millennium Challenges" program declared by the United
States government within the frames of implementation of the programs
targeted at decreasing the level of poverty in RA rural regions.

Oskanian and Rice also discussed elections to National Assembly to
be held in RA May 12, noting the importance to conduct them in line
with the international standards.

RA FM and the U. S. Secretary of State considered regional
issues, current situation in Armenian-Turkish relations and the
U. S. initiatives for their normalization.

Vardan Oskanian and Condoleezza Rice exchanged opinions concerning
current stage and perspectives of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict
settlement.

The second part of the day Armenia’s Foreign Minister held meetings
at the U. S. Congress.

THREE DEPUTIES OF ARMENIAN NATIONALITY TO BE IN NEW ABKHAZIAN PARLIAMENT

arminfo
2007-03-06 08:53:00

The official data of the voting results at the parliamentary elections
in Abkhazia, held on March 4, have been announced.

As the editorial office of the newspaper of Armenians of Russia
"Yerkramas" told ArmInfo, it succeeded to elect 18 deputies out of 35,
three of which are Armenians. Thus, the number of Armenians in the
Parliament of Abkhazia will not change. To remind, there were also
three deputies in the previous Abkhazian Parliament.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 2 2007

AZERIS’ MEETING DISPERSED IN IRAN

A group of Azeris consisting of a few tens people intended to hold a
meeting and picket before RA Embassy in Tehran. At the beginning of
the unapproved meeting police requested that the meeting’s
participants leave the street; however, the Azeris were incited
aggressively and tried to cast stones at the Armenian Embassy. It
resulted in clashes between police and demonstrators. The picketers
were superseded to a park nearby.
In the park the meeting’s participants read out the draft picket’s
resolution. As it has been reported, six participants of the picket
were arrested. A case of one of them – Akbar Azad – was submitted to
Iran’s Revolutionary Court, others were released on bail.

Azeri aide backs Karabakh discussion at UN

ANS TV, Baku
1 Mar 07

[Presenter] Baku disagrees with the statement by the Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, that there is
no need to raise the issue of frozen conflicts at the UN General
Assembly. The head of the foreign relations department at the
[Azerbaijani] presidential administration, Novruz Mammadov, has said
the following. [Mammadov, speaking to journalists] Perhaps, the
Russian co-chairman expressed his personal position on the issue. We
disagree with this. We think that the situation in areas with frozen
conflicts must be discussed at a UN plenary session. We have been
trying to ensure this and included the issue on our agenda. Therefore,
we cannot accept Merzlyakov’s proposal. We think that we should take
advantage of any discussions by any organization which will help
resolve the conflict.

ARMENIAN ‘PARTY OF POWER’ TO APPROVE ELECTION LIST
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 28 2007

Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian
and other leaders of the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)
were due to meet late Wednesday to approve the list of its candidates
for this spring’s parliamentary elections.

Most of those candidates will contest the elections under the system
of proportional representation whereby voters choose parties or blocs,
as opposed to individuals. Ninety out of the 131 seats in the National
Assembly will be distributed on the party list basis.

A senior HHK member, who asked not to be identified, told RFE/RL
that the HHK’s proportional list will be topped by Markarian and
Sarkisian, followed by parliament speaker Tigran Torosian, senior
lawmaker Karen Karapetian and the influential Minister for Local
Government Hovik Abrahamian. He said it will also comprise a number
of other prominent Republicans as well as at least five other members
of Markarian’s cabinet.

Those include Trade Minister Karen Chshmaritian, Transport Minister
Andranik Markarian, Urban Development Minister Aram Harutiunian,
Environment Minister Vartan Ayvazian and Justice Minister David
Harutiunian. The latter has had no links with the HHK until now and
reportedly decided to join Armenia’s main "party of power" at the
last minute. President Robert Kocharian is thought to have personally
made sure that Harutiunian, his longtime protege, is included on the
Republican list.

The HHK board was also expected to nominate candidates in most of the
41 single-mandate individual constituencies across Armenia. They are
typically businessmen or other wealthy individuals with close ties
to the government and Sarkisian in particular.

As always, wealthy candidates will also be included on the party’s
proportional list. Markarian and other Republicans have denied earning
them parliament mandates for cash.

The HHK will be looking to retain the largest faction in parliament
after May 12, something which is essential for the success of
Sarkisian’s presidential ambitions. Observers say it will be challenged
not only by Armenia’s fragmented opposition but some pro-Kocharian
groups such as businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party
(BHK).

The extent of rivalry between the HHK and the BHK remains unclear,
with some analysts predicting that they will jointly form the next
Armenian cabinet following the vote. There are already whispers
suggesting that the two parties have privately agreed not to compete
against each in single-mandate constituencies.